R. Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, on Saturday said the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project would be operational anytime soon.
“The decision will come anytime now. The reactor is a safe reactor (and there is) no question about it; it is designed with safety features. It depends on the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) to examine the test results (and take a call),” Chidambaram said here.
He was speaking to the media after an event to mark the 120th birth anniversary of P. C. Mahalanobis at the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata.
According to Chidambaram, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd is supposed to provide the test results to AERB. The regulatory body, in turn, will decide on giving a go-ahead, considering whether further tests are necessary or not.
He added that there is a need for convincing the laymen about “probability of safety” of nuclear energy. “For all practical purposes, nuclear power is safe. Common people have difficulty in understanding probabilistic safety assessment and analysis. Indian has an excellent safety record with so many years in operation,” Chidambaram said.